Placing the creation of Westphalia within the context of the larger German story of the Napoleonic Wars, this groundbreaking book offers the only complete history of Napoleon's grand experiment to construct a model state in Germany. In 1807, in the wake of two years of victories over the Austrians, Prussians, and Russians, Napoleon redrew the map of central Europe by fashioning a new German state. Dubbing it the Kingdom of Westphalia, he appointed his 23-year-old brother Jerome as its king. Sam A. Mustafa shows how Westphalia became a proving ground for the allegedly liberating and modern concepts of the French Revolution, brought by foreign conquest and enforced by a powerful new centralized state. Over the next six years, the inhabitants of this region experienced fundamental and often jarring changes in almost every aspect of their lives. They witnessed a profound clash of French and German culture, as well as new ideas about law, nationality, and politics. And yet, for all of its promise on paper, Westphalia ended up despised by most of its people, who cheered at its collapse and in many cases helped to bring it down. What went wrong with this early example of what we would today call "nation building" and how did Germans react to the changes? Napoleon's Paper Kingdom is the first book in the English language to provide a comprehensive investigation of this fascinating chapter of the Napoleonic Wars.

With a careful blend of concision and rich detail, Sam A. Mustafa's readable and lively text traces German history from Roman times to the present, placing particular emphasis on the past three centuries. Balanced and clearly written, the book guides readers expertly through the complex tangle of Germany's past. Mustafa provides a judicious mix of narrative history and historiography, tracing the influential individuals and broad social currents, myths and legends, and political and cultural elements that have shaped the country. In addition, the book is unique in bringing the story fully to the present with a chapter on the past twenty-five years that explores the nation's reunification and its struggles with history and memory. Generously illustrated with photos, artwork, and maps, the book also includes text boxes to allow readers to pause and consider key concepts in greater detail. Each chapter offers a list of further suggested readings, with a mixture of classic and recent scholarship, to provide a range of coverage of important issues.

With a careful blend of concision and rich detail, Sam A. Mustafa's readable and lively text traces German history from Roman times to the present, placing particular emphasis on the past three centuries. Balanced and clearly written, the book guides readers expertly through the complex tangle of Germany's past. Mustafa provides a judicious mix of narrative history and historiography, tracing the influential individuals and broad social currents, myths and legends, and political and cultural elements that have shaped the country. In addition, the book is unique in bringing the story fully to the present with a chapter on the past twenty-five years that explores the nation's reunification and its struggles with history and memory. Generously illustrated with photos, artwork, and maps, the book also includes text boxes to allow readers to pause and consider key concepts in greater detail. Each chapter offers a list of further suggested readings, with a mixture of classic and recent scholarship, to provide a range of coverage of important issues.